It is a matter of grave concern that the evacuation of the last opposition-held areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo was suspended only a day after it had started, leaving thousands of Syrians trapped and uncertain of their fate. The operation to remove fighters and civilians which began on Thursday under a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey came to a halt on Friday amid recriminations from all sides. The government blamed the rebels for violating the terms of the accord by trying to smuggle heavy weapons and hostages from east Aleppo while the latter accused the pro-government Shiite militias of opening fire on a convoy carrying evacuees from east Aleppo and robbing them. Syrian military sources deny the accusation.
The Syrian conflict has drawn in major global powers, supporting and opposing President Bashar al-Assad and the myriad rebel groups ranged against him. But everyone seems to have forgotten the human cost of the war that has seen __more than 300,000 people killed, over half the population displaced, with millions becoming refugees. Against this grim backdrop, an advance by the Syrian army and its allies regained control over most of the territory in Aleppo in a matter of weeks, raising expectations that this would give some respite to Syrians from the suffering. But we are deeply concerned to note that that the opposite has happened with reports of opposition forces being killed and now the evacuation being stalled.
Aleppo continues to bleed while international politics fails to come to a consensus on how to end the stasis in Syria. It is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. All stakeholders should hold talks to bring an end to the human misery in Aleppo.